March on Washington

On August 28, 1963, nearly 250,000 people took part in the March on Washington.

 This remains one of the most successful mobilizations ever created by the American left. The surrounding cities had to up their transportation services and work later hours in order  to accommodate for all the people traveling to Washington D.C. Buses, cars, and railroads started to flood into the city full of protestors. Many of the protesters dressed formally as they marched quietly and politely to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where the event would take their place. The march was organized by activists A. Phillip Randolph and Bayard Rustin.  Randolph organized and led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first African American labor union. He was a determined activist who also played a huge role in Truman's Executive Order 9981, ending discrimination in the armed forces. This made Randolph the perfect figure to lead and organize the march. The March served as a 100-year anniversary when Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation but mainly to protest for equal civil and economic rights for African Americans. 

Protestors gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Courtesy of NBC Washington. 

High levels of African American unemployment, poor wages, and systematic segregation in the south prompted several groups to conspire a grand march through the nation's capital. These organizations worked with city officials to set up portable toilets, water fountains, and first aid tents. Volunteers from Riverside Church in New York prepared 80,000 cheese sandwiches for participants of the march. The event brought in a wide variety of speakers and performers at the protest from actor Ossie Davis to Jewish Rabbi Joachim Prinz. This reflected the diversity in the crowd as well. Composed primarily of factory workers, domestic servants, public employees, and farm workers, it was the largest demonstration—and, some argued, the largest gathering of union members—in the history of the United States. Celebrities like Jackie Robinson, Sammie Davis Jr, James Baldwin, and Harry Belafonte participated in the march. 

Although there was a very high number of supporters for the March it was not embraced by everyone. Most famously Malcom X, who was a Civil Rights Activist condemned the march calling it the “Farce on Washington”. Saying that mobilization had been taken over by the government and deprived it of its once radical agenda. 

After Phillip Randolph, Roy Wilkins and others delivered powerful speeches that left the crowd captivated Dr. Martin Luther King took to the podium. This is where he delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” saying “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; Only love can do that. “This speech was broadcast on live television for the world to see. The image of a "beloved community" expressed in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" oration is etched in the national memory. This speech will forever be an important piece in American history. 

Dr. King waving to supporters. Image courtesy of NewsOne. 

Soon after the speech Dr. King and other Civil Rights activist met with President John Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson to discuss the need for bipartisan support of Civil Rights in the United States. A year later after the March and discussion with the President the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. This act eliminated discrimination against people based on race, color, religion, and sex. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was then passed which banned discrimination for voting based on race, allowing blacks to vote. It is clear how important the March on Washington was for this country. The March accomplished the goals that African Americans had been fighting for over 50 years. 

For more information on the March on Washington visit the History website in the link. For visuals and to learn more about the march watch this short video.